


Like Moths to a Flame

by Puncrastinator



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mafia(ish) AU, Useless Lesbians, of course everything is complicated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:14:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24578125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puncrastinator/pseuds/Puncrastinator
Summary: Jet thinks she has a fresh start at the all-girls boarding school she'd somehow managed to worm her way into, but it seems like the past won't give her up just yet when she meets an all-too-familiar face. Of course everything's complicated, because why wouldn't it be? In which Jet meets someone with shared trauma, and finds that processing the past helps her make a better future…
Relationships: Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	1. Prep School, Short Skirt

**Author's Note:**

> their meeting was kinda inspired by "Follow the Smoke" by youremyqueen but it's gonna be really different i promise i just thought the same-gender prep school setting was a great idea (haha like my old school! repressed trauma amiright?)

Honestly, if you could look past it the new girl was actually really pretty. Jet narrowed her eyes at the newcomer standing at the front of the classroom. She was short, pale, and had long black hair tied neatly away from her face with a red ribbon. She carried herself like she was someone of great importance, but the slight twitching of her fingers betrayed her bravado. She was staring straight ahead into the crowd of girls that unabashedly gawked at her, but it didn’t look like she could see them. Jet knew she was being unreasonable, but it felt like the new girl could see right through her. 

Of course everyone was doing the same mental math Jet was and no way was it real. She couldn’t imagine that any of the sheltered girls at this school could have half her face marred like that. How would anyone even get something like that? It wasn’t a birthmark—birthmarks didn’t eat away at your eye and ear and leave hardened rough pink flesh behind. It was definitely a scar. The new girl was scarred and it was totally horrible looking. Probably a burn… Jet almost laughed at the deja vu she felt—probably would have if the thought didn’t make her sick to her stomach. 

“Yikes,” Sokka whispered loudly in Jet’s ear. 

The new girl definitely glanced in their direction. Jet almost averted her eyes, but she told herself she didn’t have anything to be embarrassed about. Everyone else was thinking it! They just had more tact than her loudmouthed roommate… 

Mrs. Piandao cleared her throat and sent a nasty glare their way. She gave the new girl what she probably thought was a gentle look. Jet rolled her eyes. 

“Hi,” the new girl said, “My name is Zuko.”   
She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else, and then shut it with a scowl, shoulders tensing up. She gave a curt nod to the teacher before jerkily walking to the empty seat in front of Jet. 

Jet found herself studying the girl the entire first period. She sat stiffly, and despite dutifully taking what looked to be actual notes, she kept twitching and every few seconds her eyes would land on the door. 

Eager to get out of here? Jet thought. She’s not the only one… 

The more Jet looked at her, the more she thought Zuko was kinda cute. Every so often Zuko would bring her hand back and flip her ponytail over her wrist in a fluid motion that felt oddly familiar to Jet. With a flip of her hair, the smell of thr new girl’s shampoo wafted over to Jet, and it smelled even more familiar. Familiar didn’t bring Jet comfort, however. She came here to forget everything about her past. She didn’t have to go back. She escaped. 

Jet narrowed her eyes at the girl, pretending she could bore holes into her skull.   
Just who are you? 

\----

Jet didn’t even pretend that she wasn’t following the new girl out the classroom and to second period. What she did pretend was to not notice Sokka’s sharp elbow to her ribs. 

“Hey! Zuko was it?” Jet asked, sending her a winning smile. 

Zuko didn’t stop walking, but she made a soft affirmative sound from the back of her throat. 

“Not much of a talker, mhm?” Jet didn’t let her smile drop, “That’s okay! I’ll do aaaaaall the talking for the both of us!” 

Zuko stopped suddenly. “What do you want?” Her voice was steely. 

Jet laughed, “Nothin’, baby I’m just trying to talk to you ‘s all.” 

“Don’t call me baby,” Zuko gritted out, “Why are you following me?” 

Jet almost blanked, but carefully planted a smirk on her face. Why was she following the strange new girl? Her class was in the other direction… She didn’t have a good excuse. Was she supposed to tell her that it was because she smelled good? That would sound pervy…   
“Just wanted to see more of that pretty face, can you blame me?” Damn, didn’t really nail the not-pervy vibe… 

Zuko turned around, and there was fire in her eyes. Jet felt herself match the energy. Her heart was racing—it had been a long time since she’d seen eyes like that. 

Zuko stepped towards Jet, ready to shove her, but Jet took a glance at the rapidly crumpling paper in Zuko’s too-tight fist. 

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!!” Jet swore quickly, holding her hands up in mock surrender, “But you’re going the wrong way. The STEM building is in the opposite direction. I have math, too, so you can walk with me.”   
Zuko met her eyes. Jet saw the fire simmer down, and Zuko was back to her stony-faced mask. She sighed, she wished the new girl would be a little easier to get to know. It wasn’t often Jet found other people like her… 

“…So, multivariable as a junior? You some kinda genius?” Jet asked. 

Zuko made eye contact. Jet could see a bit of annoyance. For someone so closed off, her emotions were surprisingly easy to read. 

“Don’t talk to me,” Zuko said, voice carefully even. They’d reached Zuko’s class, so Jet really didn’t have an excuse to linger, anyway. 

Jet almost argued, but thought better of it. She smiled, but it came out looking kinda mean. “See you after class, babygirl!” 

Jet didn’t have to turn back around to know that there was fire in Zuko’s eyes as she walked away. She could feel it burning through her back and eating away at her spine. 

\---- 

Jet bristled a bit as Sokka loudly yawned and collapsed in the bed next to hers. It had been a long day of classes, if by classes you mean Jet sneaking glances at the new girl who was pointedly avoiding her.

“So, what’d you think of the new girl?” Sokka asked, her voice brassy and somewhat distracted. She was pulling out some video game and sighing about a text from a boy. Jet pretended not to be bitter that she could afford to care about such trivial things. 

Even if Sokka wasn’t exactly Kim K, and Jet wasn’t exactly some street rat, it was unmistakable that they came from totally different worlds. Jet had been running away for so long, running from stranger’s house to stranger’s house she’d forgotten what normal teenagers were like. It had never occurred to her to hide in plain sight like a normal kid, but Jet guessed that practical thinking like that is what her social worker was for. 

Of course, he didn’t even know half of it… ‘Tell him enough for him to help, but not enough to get you hospitalized or in jail.’ That’s how Jet felt about her social worker. 

“Jet did you hear me?” Sokka asked. Jet stopped in the middle of her reverie, and pulled the too-tight, too-stiff dress shirt over her head. 

“You can unbutton it yaknow…” Sokka said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Jet didn’t hold back her glare, but Sokka wasn’t looking at her. Jet’s roommate had always been a little uncomfortable with how shameless Jet was. Jet never had a problem showing her body, in fact she felt more uncomfortable being all covered up. She was used to boys leering and girls being jealous. Sometimes even girls leering and boys being jealous. 

“Prude,” Jet hissed. 

“I’m not a prude! Just don’t strip!!” Sokka wailed. Sokka didn’t mind a bit of skinship even if the other person liked girls, too. But she hated how Jet was so deadpan about nudity. ‘It’s just a body,’ Jet would always say. Sokka didn’t believe that. There’s no such thing as just a body. Jet would always shrug at her and get a faraway look in her eyes. Sokka would worry about her. Jet didn’t have any friends besides her, so Sokka was the only one worrying about her. 

Jet folded the white dress shirt and her red pleated skirt she had poorly hemmed to make shorter. She put the clothes at the foot of her bed and slipped into a big t-shirt before unhooking her bra. Happy, prude? Jet almost laughed. Sokka had definitely grown on her if she was actively trying to not make her uncomfortable. They weren’t friends. Well… they weren’t not friends. Jet guessed they were friends in the only way they could be: without talking too seriously very often (maybe twice in the three years they’d known each other, and both had been about Sokka’s issues).

“Are you done yet?” Sokka asked. Jet made a noise that sounded like a yes, so Sokka turned around and patted a spot on the mattress beside her. 

Jet climbed onto Sokka’s bed dutifully. 

“Sooooo… Zuko?” Sokka asked, “Other than that terrible scar what’d ya think?”

Jet shrugged, “I actually like the scar.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her, but looked away when her phone pinged. 

“It means she’s been through some tough shit. I like it.” 

Sokka laughed, “What are you, some kind of sadist?” 

Jet narrowed her eyes at her roommate who blanched a little. She said, “It doesn’t make her any less pretty either.” But she wanted to say, ‘Maybe she’d turn out to be someone who understands…’ Sokka wouldn’t understand. She was so sheltered… 

“I think it makes her look kinda grumpy,” Sokka declared. 

Jet chuckled, “Trauma is the spice of life… Besides, why does it matter what I think? I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“Maybe if you stopped leering at her for a second, she’d like you better,” Sokka muttered.

Jet feigned injury, “You take that back!” 

Sokka elbowed her in the ribs, “She your type?” 

Jet shook her head, “I don’t have a ‘type’.” 

Sokka looked like she was about to refute her, but her phone pinged loudly and she opened the message, “A dick pic? Really Jun? I was starting to really like you! I bet he’s drunk!” 

“Jun? He’s the pale dude with long hair at the boys’ school right?” 

“Yeah! The one with the cool tats!” 

Jet rolled her eyes, “Don’t go for bad boys, they don’t suit you.” 

“What do you mean? I can handle myself!” Sokka was indignant. “Besides didn’t you have a little thing with a ‘bad boy’?” 

Jet laughed in earnest, “A thing? Nah we just fucked that doesn’t count. Don’t go getting your heart broken on me.” 

Sokka flushed at the mention of Jet’s promiscuity. Oh if only she knew the whole story… 

“You’re just gonna hit and quit the new girl? Ouch, that’s brutal…” Sokka mused. 

Jet shook her head, “It’s not like that I promise.” 

Sokka looked thoughtful for a moment before exhaling sharply. “Anyways… There’s this guy I might hang out with this weekend…” 

Jet pretended to be interested, but they were in familiar territory now so it was easy for her to get lost inside her own head and just make affirmative noises or ask simple questions when it seemed like Sokka wanted her to. Sokka was always having unsuccessful escapades with boys. She was too much of a romantic, Jet thought. 

Sex was a game. It was an easy way to get what Jet wanted, and the rules were simple: whoever falls in love first loses. Love was totally off the table for Jet, but it was easy for her to pretend to share in her friend’s naivety.


	2. Houseparty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this is a little spicy at the beginning and then sappy at the end oops

The edges of Jet’s vision were blurred, the noise of the party a pleasant hum in her ears. Her jaw ached, and she felt the urge to bite down. 

Her teeth met resistance, and something about it felt good. Sokka’s voice floated faintly in her head—something about an oral fixation. 

Jet heard a loud, pained noise that jerked her out of her alcohol-induced haze. She looked up and saw a boy clawing at her hair, pushing her away. She moved back, mourning the loss of something in her mouth, but scowling that it was a dick. 

“What the hell, you dumb bitch?” the boy snapped. Jet glared up at him, and grabbed his offending appendage, “I’m not your bitch. You’re my bitch. And you liked it didn’t you? Stupid, slutty femboy’s still hard…” 

The boy was looking at her with anger in his eyes, but Jet wasn’t afraid of him. She knew he was putty in her magic hands. She could snap his dick in half and he’d be groveling at her feet. And if he didn’t, well, she’d make him. 

“Well…” the boy was breathing hard, words airy and devoid of any actual threat, “G-get on with it!” 

Jet laughed cruelly, “You’re so needy! I’ll get on with it when I wanna get on with it.” 

He looked like he was about to retort when they heard the door click open. Jet had almost forgotten where she was—a dingy bathroom with a shitty lock at the shittiest houseparty she’d ever been to (well maybe not ever but still). 

Jet rolled her eyes, ready to kick out the poor freshman that just had to piss. But when she turned around, she saw someone she wasn’t expecting. 

“Zuko…” “Sorry.” 

The two of them spoke at the same time. They held eye contact for a beat too long, and then Zuko was hurrying out. 

Jet exhaled sharply. The boy she was with touched her shoulder, but she shrugged him off. She wiped her slick hands on her miniskirt and dried the spit off her chin before running after Zuko, ignoring the loud protests of the boy she’d blue-balled.  
He has hands, he’ll live… 

“Zuko!! Zuko!!” Jet chased after the girl, who was clearly running faster to avoid her. 

“Zuko please!” 

Zuko stopped suddenly and Jet crashed into her, toppling a few other partygoers. That earned her a few glares and some nasty comments, but she ignored them. 

“Drink?” Zuko asked simply. Jet nodded her head, and followed her to grab a cheap beer. It wasn’t great-tasting but it got her drunk and that’s what she needed. 

Jet chugged a can before throwing it out, and grabbing another one. She met Zuko’s mildly surprised eyes, and followed her out the back door. 

The patio was quieter than inside the house. There weren't any other people besides one super drunk couple attempting to make out in the bushes. Jet would have laughed if it weren’t for the grave look on Zuko’s face. 

“You look like someone just died, baby,” Jet mused. 

Zuko shrugged. Jet smiled at her nonreaction to being called “baby.” 

The door to the patio swung open violently. Zuko flinched, and Jet sighed. 

“What the hell you bitch?” a male voice slurred. Maybe he didn’t have hands? 

Jet rolled her eyes, and prepared herself to sock him in the face. She didn’t expect him to shove her against the fence. Up close he was even more repulsive than she initially thought. Maybe she was a little less sober than she thought she was. 

Jet smirked, “What’s wrong, slut? Can’t deal with rejection?” 

“Don’t. Mess. With. Me.” the man breathed into her face. His breath reeked of nicotine and vomit. Jet grimaced. The man stepped back and lit a cigarette. Jet stood her ground. She was sure he’d leave. 

He turned around as if he was going to go, before whirling right back to face her and jabbing her in the shoulder with his cigarette. Jet hissed at the burn, but didn’t drop eye contact. 

“Pussy,” she spat out. He pressed the cigarette harder, and raised his fist. But with a crashing sound his skull was hitting the brick wall of the house and he was going down like a house of cards. 

Jet found herself unsurprised at Zuko’s display of strength. The girl had the now-unconscious man by the collar, and was looking at Jet’s burning shoulder. 

Jet walked up to them, and noticed how Zuko tensed a little. She bent over and pulled a fresh cigarette from the man’s jean pocket. She lit it on her own burning shoulder before snuffing the fire out. Zuko exhaled sharply and released the man, who crumpled on the floor. 

“What the hell?” 

Jet looked at the girl, who was getting up to stand by her. “Sorry. Did you want me to light you one too?” 

Zuko glared at her, “No what the fuck are you thinking?” 

Jet laughed sardonically, “I don’t think.” 

“Maybe you should.” 

Jet leaned her elbows on the edge of the fence. Zuko walked up hesitantly behind her before coming to stand next to her. 

Jet nudged their shoulders together, and didn’t miss the way the tips of Zuko’s ears flushed red. Zuko took a long swig of her beer, and masked her grimace. 

Jet laughed, “Disgusting, right?” 

Zuko nodded slowly, carefully. 

Jet suddenly got the impression she was talking to a very feral, very scared wild animal. 

The couple in the bushes had stopped making noise, and Jet stood on the tips of her toes to get a better look. They were passed out on top of each other. She cooed a little, “It’s kinda cute. In a pathetic and alcoholic sort of way.” 

That earned her a chuckle from Zuko. A real chuckle. Jet suddenly wanted to hear the girl laugh. 

“I didn’t think you’d be the type to go to parties,” Jet said quietly. 

Zuko shrugged. “I didn’t think so either.” 

“So why’d you come?” 

“I heard you’d be here.” 

“I thought you hated me.” 

“You’re annoying.” 

“That doesn’t mean you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.” 

Jet turned to smile at the girl, but she wasn’t looking at her. She thought Zuko looked beautiful like this. She wondered if Zuko stood on the side that only revealed her unscarred half on purpose. It seemed like she was looking at a different person that way: someone softer… 

Zuko’s long hair was down, and fell in soft curls around her face. The ends of her bangs reached her eyelashes, and Jet didn’t stop herself from brushing the hair out of her eyes. Zuko turned to look at her, amber eyes wide with surprise, gentler than Jet had ever seen them. 

In that moment, as Zuko’s cheeks flushed to her ears, Jet thought she was the prettiest girl she’d ever seen. She brought her fingers down to rest on Zuko’s cheek, thumb skirting the edge of her scar. Zuko leaned into the touch. Jet wished she could capture this moment and put it in a bottle. 

The patio door crashed open again, and Zuko jumped away from Jet. Jet nearly whined, but held her tongue. 

“Jet! Jet!!” It was Sokka. She was ugly-crying, snot running from her nose and mascara a mess on her face. 

“Oh, doll, what’s wrong?” Jet asked moving to hold the other girl. Sokka shook her head violently, “J-Jin aargh.” 

Sokka vomited on the patio. Zuko looked at Jet in horror. Jet rolled her eyes, she did this shit every week. She told Sokka to quit crushing on bad boys. 

“Meet me after the party?” Jet asked. Zuko nodded, and let Jet go clean Sokka up in the bathroom. 

\---- 

By the time Jet had wiped Sokka down and convinced her that it was probably for the better that they go back to the dorms, Zuko was nowhere to be found. 

Despite her efforts, Jet found that she was actually really disappointed. 

But she sighed, and beared it, responsibility to her roommate and only friend outweighing the strange fascination she had for the new girl. 

She managed to undress Sokka without too much struggle, and got her into her bed. 

As soon as she hit the sheets, her roommate was out like a light. 

Jet sighed. She would give Sokka a proper tongue lashing in the morning. Imagine being stupid enough to let some boy make you cry? Couldn’t be Jet. 

Jet began to undress. The clock read 2:31 A.M. She would try to sleep. 

She bent down to untie her boot laces, and found a small slip of paper in her left boot. 

She unfolded it and smiled. It was a note: “Sorry.” and a phone number. 

She put the number in her contacts as “pretty girl 🔥” and shot a quick text: 

“Make it up to me?” 

Her phone pinged almost immediately with a response. 

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sokka is a cockblock (vagina-block?) lmao

**Author's Note:**

> sokka and jet are friends jet is just stupid and forgets that not all friends are die-together type friends (in which i'm totally not projecting on jet)


End file.
